Kingdom Plantae Family Lamiaceae Rank Species | Order Lamiales Genus Westringia | |
Similar Westringia, Westringia eremicola, Westringia dampieri, Caladenia fulva, Darwinia carnea | ||
Westringia crassifolia, commonly known as Whipstick westringia, is a rare shrub that is endemic to Victoria, Australia.
Contents
Description
The species is a tall slender shrub growing to 2 metres high. Leaves are about 5 to 15 mm long and 1.5 to 2.5 mm wide. The flowers, which may be pink, lavender or blue, appear in August and September in the species native range.
Taxonomy
The species was formally described in 1957 by botanist Norman Wakefield in The Victorian Naturalist.
Distribution and habitat
The species is restricted to two locations; one near Bendigo and the other in the Little Desert
Conservation
Westringia crassifolia is listed as "endangered" under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, "endangered" on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria and "threatened" under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
There are estimated to be about 640 plants left in the wild.